“The world will not be the same without David. His creative mentorship was truly powerful,” said Naomi Watts, star of Mulholland Drive, which was directed by David Lynch in 2001.
“He put me on the map. The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right,” said the British-born actress.
Watts career took a dramatic turn upward after her turn the 2001 L.A. neo-noir feature that Lynch morphed from a deep-sixed ABC TV pilot into an Oscar-nominated movie from Universal.
In that film, Watts played the doppelganger roles of Betty Elms and Diane Selwyn alongside co-stars Laura Harring, Justin Theroux and Robert Forster.
She continued, “It wasn’t just his art that impacted me–his wisdom, humor, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before.
“Every moment together felt charged with presence I’ve rarely seen or known. Probably because he seemed to live in an altered world, one that I feel lucky to have been a small part of. David invited all to glimpse into that world through his exquisite storytelling, which elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe.
I just cannot believe that he’s gone. I’m in pieces but forever grateful for our friendship. I’m yelling from the bullhorn: Godspeed, Buddy Dave! Thank you for your everything. —Buttercup xox”
After Mulholland Drive, Watts earned two Best Actress Oscar nominations, in 2004 for 21 Grams and in 2013 for The Impossible.
My Oscar Book:
She would work with Lynch again in Showtime’s 2017 revival of Twin Peaks as Janey-E Jones and as a voice-over in the filmmaker’s final feature, 2006’s Inland Empire.
Other parts for Watts included King Kong, the Oscar winner Birdman and The Divergent Series: Insurgent.
Watts recently received an Emmy nom in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans for her portrayal of Babe Paley.
